Holistic refurbishment

Many refurbishment projects focus on buildings only. They fail to treat the energy system holistically, pay little attention to mobility aspects and do not use the power of information and communication technologies (ICT) for the integration and management of data. Tenants and other end-users are not sufficiently engaged, which results in failed attempts to curve their energy consumption.

Our objective is to address successfully the eco renovation of existing public and private residential housing within the demonstration districts. Housing environments present their specific challenges, legal and societal, and require to different approaches in communication, management and regulation.

In SMARTER TOGETHER, the three lighthouse cities will develop a first-of-its-kind low energy district through a holistic approach which connects building, energy management system and mobility issues. This has never been done before at this scale and with the type of buildings targeted in the project. The demonstration areas follow ambitious energy standards well beyond the legal requirements for refurbishment projects in France, Germany and Austria.

Each lighthouse city aims to minimize by 60% on average the energy consumption of buildings by deep refurbishment of existing building stock mainly composed of multi-apartment buildings owned by housing associations, but also jointly owned apartment buildings.

This goal will be reached by implementing energy-efficient solutions:

Structural refurbishment measures curving the energy loss due to the buildings themselves, including outside thermal insulation material and high-efficiency windows

Energy recovery systems limiting the energy loss linked to the use of buildings, including energy-efficient lighting systems, heat recovery ventilation system and waste heat recovery for hot water generation

Energy management systems in dwellings, which are cross-cutting ICT solutions for sustainable energy use and convenience

These technical solutions will be supported by specific awareness campaigns, technical and financial support targeting individual owners and homeowner associations.